Donovan Mitchell Called Overpaid on New Cavs Contract by NBA GM in Latest Rumors

The Cleveland Cavaliers have always had to pay a premium to attract and retain talent, but one NBA general manager seemed to question whether they'll come to regret Donovan Mitchell's extension.

The seven-time All-Star can earn up to $272.9 million over four years, and his salary is projected to peak at $75.5 million in 2030-31.

In the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Tim MacMahon relayed the remarks from a GM on deals of this magnitude (18:05 mark). The exec asserted that a player needs to be a "generational talent" to justify what Mitchell will be making.

"He essentially said when you get into the $70 million range, which is obviously where this is, there might only be a couple players in the league that are worth that kind of money," MacMahon said.

The NBA insider may have been paraphrasing what a general manager said in reference to Jaylen Brown, who has received more scrutiny than ever with his trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown is a five-time All-Star and former Finals MVP, but the Boston Celtics didn't have a ton of leverage because teams balked at assuming the $183 million left on his supermax extension.

"It's really hard to tie up that much of your salary cap in one player unless they're truly generational. And he's not even close to that," the GM told MacMahon of Brown. "If you supermax Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] or [Nikola Jokić], it makes sense. That's probably the list."

The Cavaliers were in a tight spot as it related to Mitchell.

The 29-year-old is Cleveland's best player, and it would've been a massive blow to the organization if he had declined his player option and hit free agency in 2027. Keeping him in Northeast Ohio was a priority.

The Cavs couldn't haggle too much in negotiations, either, because Mitchell held so many of the cards.

But general manager Koby Altman has already seen this gamble backfire once before.

Weeks after LeBron James left to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, Cleveland handed Kevin Love a four-year, $120 million extension. Love battled injuries over the next few seasons and his trade value almost totally disappeared. The team bought him out after the 2023 deadline.

A few years ago, paying Mitchell north of $70 million would've been considered the cost of doing business. In a world with the second apron, front offices are more wary than ever to dish out a max or supermax salary.

Even San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is reportedly structuring his max contract in a way that could save them money.

If Mitchell goes on to help the Cavaliers win a title, the investment will be worth it. It's also easy to envision a future in which Cleveland continues to hit a wall in the playoffs and can't improve the roster in a serious way in part because Mitchell is eating up so much of the salary cap.